French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged support for Iraq, saying the main challenges facing the country are Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group fighters and foreign interference in its affairs.
Macron is the first president to visit the Iraqi capital since former Iraqi intelligence chief Prime Minister Mustafa al-Qadimi in May.
“We are here and we will continue to support Iraq,” Macron told a news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Berham Salih in Baghdad.
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“Any foreign intervention could undermine the efforts made by the government.”
Iraqi officials should continue to share a vision for a “restoration of Iraq’s sovereignty,” he said, adding that this was “a significant achievement not only for Iraq, but for the region as a whole.”
“I want to reiterate that France fully supports the Iraqi state and institutions.”
McCormack had previously said he was heading to Baghdad to launch a joint initiative with the United Nations to support the process.
Later on Wednesday, the French leader met with al-Qadimi during his entire long trip, which comes amid a sharp economic crisis and a coronavirus epidemic that has put great strain on Iraq’s economy and politics. He is also expected to meet Natirvan Barzani, president of the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region.
Al-Qadimi was chosen by parliament in May to lead a government that would lead the country to early elections, and he called for a meeting in June 2021.
His predecessor, Adel Abdul Mahdi, resigned in December last year under pressure to protest corruption and foreign interference.
Early elections are the main demand of anti-government protesters who staged mass demonstrations last month and were killed by security forces and gunmen suspected of having links to Iranian-backed armed groups.
Salih told Crown that the Iraqi leadership was looking forward to a future where Baghdad would claim a “necessary and central role in the region”.
“The region must be in a state of peace and stability, and the basis of these capabilities goes beyond strengthening Iraq’s role as a capable country with sovereignty,” he said.
President Salih said he was looking forward to a long-term visit by Macron in 2021, and al-Qadimi said he hoped France and Europe as a whole could help “restore stability” in the rocky region.
“We want to be an arena for conflict, not an arena for conflict, but an area of stability and moderation,” al-Qadimi told a news conference, adding that France and Iraq would sign an energy agreement in the future and further enhance military cooperation. Will create.
“We talked about future projects, using nuclear energy to create electricity and peaceful projects, which will be overseen by the International Atomic Energy Agency … which will create jobs and alleviate power shortages.”
US-Iran tensions
Iraq was devastated by waves of sectarian strife six years ago, when ISIL seized control of the country, after ousting former President Saddam Hussein following a 2003 US-led invasion.
At the same time, the country has been embroiled for years between its two main allies, Iran and the United States, in a balanced act that has become even more troubling since Washington withdrew from a multilateral nuclear deal with Tehran in 2018.
France is one of the key European countries in the 2015 agreement.
Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari reports from Baghdad that Macron’s visit was an important step, especially since the country is caught between two allies who disagree with each other.
Al-Qadmi, a US backer, took office on May 7 when Baghdad’s relations with Washington were unclear. LFormer Iraqi leaders, he will have to run tight security between the US-Iran enmity.
U.S. in Baghdad The assassination of Iranian General Qasem Solimani and top Iraqi army leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in January provoked demands from Shiite lawmakers that the US military leave Iraq.
Al-Qadimi visited Washington last month, where he held talks with President Donald Trump. He said his administration is committed to improving security as rogue military groups attack the seat of his government every day.
Other crises for al-Kadhimi have included slashed state coffers in the crude oil-dependent country after a sharp drop in prices and increased hardship for an economy already struggling amid the epidemic.
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